Asian Games economy | Yiwu manufacturing thrives once more
National team jerseys are on sale in Yiwu. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]
Yiwu, known as the world's supermarket, has once again found itself in the spotlight thanks to the ongoing Asian Games. Even jerseys of national teams that usually receive little attention are selling like hotcakes.
Wen Congjian, owner of Dana Silk Import and Export Co in Yiwu, has been in the jersey business for 15 years, and he's never seen anything quite like this before.
Asian soccer teams such as Vietnam and Thailand, who tend to not perform as well, usually saw limited demand. However, during the Asian Games, orders for even these jerseys surged.
Not long ago, a customer from Uzbekistan placed an order for over 10,000 jerseys from his country. Wen was taken aback and a little apprehensive because his factory had never produced clothing for this country before.
They had to first find the designs and create the patterns. "After all, they haven't participated in the World Cup before, and there aren't many major competitions, so nobody here has seen their jerseys!" he explained.
"I can clearly see that the Asian Games have had a significant impact on my business. Sales of jerseys for Asian football and basketball teams have increased by two-to-three-fold compared to regular times," Wen added.